Due to broken overcast conditions over the weekend, Sky Harbor was routing flights a bit farther out and on different flight paths than normal, and we had aircraft approaching our home about every 45-60 seconds approx 2-3000 ft. AGL. I caught a glimpse of the ATA 737-800--the one with winglets. Thought it was very interesting to look at....the winglets looked much larger in proportion to the wings than other aircraft I've seen. It makes me wonder...what do pilots think of winglets? How do they influence the way the aircraft feels, and do they tend to make the aircraft more stable on the yaw axis?Here's a link to an airliners.net shot of the ATA '800.... It certainly caught my attention:http://www.airliners.net/open.file/303728/M/John

http://ftp.avsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e6670294f298e49.jpgHot of the press, I see this beauty every day here at DFW. The winglet is 8 ft tall and the cord is 4 ft at the lower point.Check this Boeing link for some more info, it climbs out of here really strong. Hope this helps some.Jay:-wavehttp://www.boeing.com/commercial/737family/background.html___________________________________________________________________

I think winglets are COOL. I've noticed no difference in how a certificated plane feels with winglets. The only planes I have flown that have winglets are the Katana, and the EMB-145XR. Both of which exhibited no noticeable control differences than any other aircraft that I could attribute to the winglets. The Katana is based on a motorglider wing, and therefore, has winglets for better glide. The XR has winglets to improve cruise drag and fuel economy for its market segment. The XR had strakes added to the rear fueselage due to yaw instability experienced during testing...

Hmm... Friend of mine is a senior pilot for ATA and was intimately involved with their -800 purchases. I'll bounce this off him and see what he says.

"You Can't beat an original" :D Cool, i live in N. Dallas i'll have to go check it out!

Any idea what the piligs are for there in this picture? They are not going to have the inter terminal trains running over the ramp are they?Terry

"You Can't beat an original" TerryT, Either that or It's part of the New "High Five" they're building here. It's big project. :D 707

707,The "High Five", what is that? It is not the newest terminal on the south end of the field is it? I have not been through DFW in 4-5 years.Thanks,Terry

The new APM "Automated People Mover" will be for ticketed passengers, only if you are flying and passed security. So no joy rides. It is all part of the 5 year development plan which also includes a massive International terminal right where the west Hyatt hotel was. The APM will be at the terminal roof line and follow all the terminals outlines on the ramp side. The construstion started about 1 year ago and is a huge mess. Look at the airport website and see if there is info on it. www.dfwairport.com The "High Five" is at LBJ and Central Expressway. Nothing to do with DFW.____________________________________________________________________

Thanks for the info. Sounds impressive and big and that is what you would expect in Texas.Terry

Finally had a chance to talk to my ATA pilot friend. He said that the winglet serves two purposes. At rest, the winglet is not perfectly vertical, so at low speeds they produce lift which increases the lift of the wing. It's a function of the wing chord length or something like that. He told me, but I promptly forgot. :) At higher speeds the winglets move to a vertical position as the wing flexes in flight. In that position they serve to inhibit wingtip vortex formation, which makes the wing more efficient because the vortices steal lift.